Chocolate-Peppermint Ganache

While I'm a huge fan of American Buttercream atop my cupcakes, I rally love the smooth and clean look of ganache in its glaze form. And since it's December, the only way to make ganache even better is to add some peppermint extract!

Ganache is so easy! I used to be very intimidated, but there's no reason to be. Ganache is made up of chocolate and heavy cream- that's it!

Ingredients:

12 ounces chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon peppermint extract

Directions:

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the heavy cream for 2-3 minutes, or until the heavy cream starts to boil. I recommend stirring the cream every so often.

Once the heavy cream is piping hot, pour it over the chocolate in a separate bowl and stir until well combined (I used a whisk). The process of pouring the hot cream over the chocolate instead of heating the chocolate ensures that the chocolate doesn't burn- I've had some pretty awful experiences trying to melt chocolate!

Once the mixture is nice and smooth, add the peppermint extract and stir until well combined. Let the mixture cool.

Once cooled, either dip the cupcakes into the ganache or spoon the ganache over the cupcakes (or cake). I dipped mine twice, allowing the ganache to set-up in between coats.

 

Tips and tricks:

 

If you're going to add toppings, let the ganache set-up first. Otherwise, you'll have a mess!

 

This recipe is plenty for 24 cupcakes. In fact, I bet you could do 48 with it.

 

Refrigerate the leftover ganache and make truffles with it! Let it chill overnight and form the ganache into small balls to make truffles. Roll the truffles into cocoa powder or chopped nuts.

 

If you're wanting a whipped ganache, just whip the mixture like you would if you were making whipped cream- no extra ingredients necessary!